Tunisia: president rejects parliament meetings as ‘illegal’

Tunisian President Kais Saied has condemned the proposed “illegal” plenary meetings of parliament, saying that those responsible for the planned online sessions are trying to create chaos. Saied suspended parliament as part of a series of “exceptional measures” that he imposed last July.

“The meetings are illegal because the assembly is frozen,” explained Saied in a video published by his office late on Monday. The president seized a monopoly on power in Tunisia when he also dismissed the prime minister last year.

The online meeting for MPs has been arranged by the Parliament Office, a body that includes the Speaker Rached Ghannouchi and representatives of political parties. A plenary session is planned for today to consider the cancellation of Saied’s “exceptional measures”, with on Saturday to review the “dangerous” financial, economic and social conditions affecting the country.

“They resort to miserable and worthless attempts… coup attempts,” said Saied. “There is a state, there is law, and there is sovereignty at home and abroad. Whoever wants to tamper with the state and its institutions, or lead to internal fighting, there are forces and institutions that will repel them. The decision of the plenary session is a fictional decision.”

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